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Explainer: The federal policies behind Springfield’s Haitian boom
• The run-up: This story started off as a hunch that many, including government officials and various media outlets, didn’t have a great understanding of American immigration policies — how they interact with one another, where they came from, who implemented them, what they were meant to do and, most importantly, how they played into Springfield’s gradual-but-quick influx of an estimated 15,000 Haitian immigrants.
• Oversimplification: In this realm, attention has often been focused on the longstanding program of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as the primary program that has authorized Haitians to come to America. This simplification leaves out a large part of the equation, given that immigrants must be legally authorized to be within American borders in order to receive TPS. So, they need a way to get in.
• How they legally entered: There are several legal pathways Haitian immigrants can use to enter the U.S. set up through a “humanitarian parole” power that Congress created in the 1950s and vested to the executive branch of the federal government. Most of Springfield’s Haitians, according to immigration lawyers on the ground, were actually allowed into the states via the default 1950s program, which has been streamlined in recent years through efforts under both the Trump and Biden Administrations.
• I hope this story will give readers a better understanding of exactly what’s happening.
Policies that paved way for Springfield’s Haitian boom debated
• The story: Given their impact, humanitarian parole programs and Temporary Protected Status have become a significant point of debate in a contentious election cycle.
• Allegations of illegality: On several occasions, GOP VP candidate Sen. JD Vance has alleged that the Biden Administration has wielded these programs illegally: “If Kamala Harris waves a wand illegally, and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them an illegal alien. An illegal action from Kamala Harris does not make an alien legal. That is not how this works.”
• Refutation: An immigration law professor at the Ohio State University told me that Vance’s legal argument doesn’t hold water. “Legally, the power that the Biden Administration is wielding is something that presidential administrations have tapped over and over and over again as a means of trying to regulate migration so that it’s safer, so that it’s more efficient, and frankly so that the federal government has a better sense of who’s coming and where they’re going,” said César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández.
• Consensus: Regardless, both Republicans and Democrats in Ohio say that the federal government should provide more help to Springfield, given that federal policies allowed so many immigrants to settle in town.
• Here’s my full story on the ongoing debate.
Local political news of the week
• Clerk candidates: Incumbent Republican Mike Foley, who faces felony and misdemeanor charges related to campaigning and other activity, is challenged by Democrat Lynn Cooper for the Montgomery Clerk of Courts role. Both candidates shared with Dayton Daily News why voters should consider them this fall. Sydney Dawes has the story.
• New Lebanon, new manager: Seven months after the unexpected ouster of most of New Lebanon’s village leadership officials, the village council appointed Peter Sexton, husband of council member Melissa Sexton, as as village manager by a 4-2 vote. One council member said the process violated village and state law. Aimee Hancock has the story.
• Miami Twp. now hiring: Thirteen people have applied to fill a vacancy on the Miami Twp. Board of Trustees left by John Morris, who resigned last month citing increasing travel requirements with his Northern California employer. Eric Schwartzberg has the story.
State political news of the week
• Issue 1 explainer: Ahead of the election, I answered some common questions circulating around Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that would replace the current redistricting commission, which is comprised of elected politicians, and replace it with an appointed citizens redistricting commission comprised of members of both major political parties and others who have no professional affiliation with politics. Here’s the piece.
• Leading the way: An Ohio House Democrat behind a bill that would require the replacement of every lead water line in the state over the next 15 years is hoping his proposal, untouched to this point, will soon become Ohio’s latest landmark lead legislation. Here’s my story.
• Will Ohio need a crypto wallet?: Dayton-area state Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., introduced a new “cutting-edge” bill this week to require the state of Ohio and all its local governments to allow residents to pay taxes and fees with cryptocurrencies. Here’s my story.
National political news of the week
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
• Springfield on stage, again: The continuing focus on Springfield’s role in the national immigration debate led to one of the more tense moments in Tuesday night’s debate between vice presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Jeremy Kelley has the story, and the Dayton Daily News partnered with a news outlet in Minnesota for a fact check of claims made by both candidates.
• Court: Former President Donald Trump, Vance, X owner Elon Musk, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno were named in a new federal court case filed by Haitian advocacy groups that claim the baseless allegations of Haitian immigrants in Springfield eating pets have caused harm. Jessica Orozco has the story.